Video Game Review - Mortal Kombat Mythologies (PS1)

When it comes to video games, few characters are more bad-ass then Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero. I mean think about it, he's a ninja that shoots out ice projectiles. That is bad-assery to the 10th power.

That being said it should come as no surprise that when the creative team behind Mortal Kombat decided to produce spin-off games based on their characters, Sub-Zero would be at the top of the list for the treatment. His game, entitled Mortal Kombat Mythologies, saw it's North American release in 1997. Breaking from the fighting game standard of Mortal Kombat, Mythologies is an action-adventure side-scroller. The player guides Sub-Zero through side-scrolling levels, bashing down baddies and collecting necessary items.



What Kills The Game
The controls are quite bothersome. The game takes the classic MK fighting engine and brings it into to a platformer environment. The result is very clunky. Punching, kicking, and blocking work well enough but the real issue is the turning. Enemies come at you from both sides of the screen however you character can only attack from the side he is facing. In order to attack enemies on the other side the player must press a button to turn. While turning Sub-Zero is open for attacks so quite often enemies will get cheap shots on you. If you play the game long enough you will find yourself adapting to the damned turn button but that still does not make it any less infuriating.

The other big issue I have with the game is the death traps. In first level there are pillars that come down and crush you. Logic would indicate you avoid being squashed by running under the pillar before it drops but NOOOOO, that pillar will just squash the fuck out of every single time. The only way to bypass the pillars is to preform a kick or punch just before the pillar thus causing it to drop on nothing. Then as it comes up slowly you can run past. The trouble is while kicking or punching to set if off you will often push yourself right under the pillar. It takes a bit of practice to master passing the pillars but that dedication seems hardly worth it. You just end up wishing you could run past them like your gut tells you to.

Why I Love It
The cutscenes really do it for me. While playing the levels is at points frustrating, the cutscenes make it worthwhile. The videos are shot using live actors and while the performances are far from Oscar worthy they do the franchise justice and bring some freshness to the game. I am especially fond of Richard Divizio as Quan Chi.

I should note that due to technical reasons the N64 version of Mythologies lacks video cutscenes. Instead it uses pictures and text to push the story along. It is for that reason I find the Playstation version of the game to be far superior as it is the only version with the cutscenes in all their glory.

With the cutscenes being the only real saving grace of Mythologies curious fans are better off just hunting the videos down. Not that hard considering they are all over the internet. In fact you can see them right below:

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